An Australian has quit her job after receiving a “horrific” text message from her boss trying to cancel an upcoming family holiday.
The wild text exchange was shared by Michael Sanz, a business owner and outsourcing expert who often asks employees to share their bad boss experiences with him.
Mr. Sanz shared a conversation between the employee, Noel, and his boss, Nick, on TikTok, telling his followers: “You won’t believe this message I just sent.”
Sanz revealed to news.com.au that it was actually the boss who sent him the change “like a badge of honour” because he believed he was on the right side.
He informed members of Noel’s staff before making the TikTok and made sure the employee was fine with the texts being shared.
The first message is from the boss, who tells Noel that another member of staff, Jenny, has resigned and therefore Noel’s booked holiday for the following week has been cancelled, with the boss claiming it will be “all hands on deck” while they try to find substitute.
“We can push a few months. I have advised HR it has now changed for you. Appreciate your understanding,” the boss wrote.
The wild text exchange was shared by Michael Sanz, a business owner and outsourcing expert who often asks employees to share their bad boss experiences with him. Michael Sanz/TikTok
As he read the message in the video, Mr. Sanz said what everyone was thinking at this point: “This guy sounds like a tool. He automatically canceled the leave without any conversation.”
Noel then texted back saying that while he appreciates how “disappointing” this situation is for the company, he can’t cancel his holiday because he has his brother’s wedding in Bali.
“All flights are paid for and my kids are in the wedding party,” she wrote.
“I booked this seven months ago, so canceling is not an option. I can help more until I leave if that helps, but I can’t change my holiday dates.”
Nick, the boss, then asked the employee to reduce his leave from three weeks to three days, daring to add: “Not sure what you can do in three weeks in Bali haha.”
Mr. Sanz questioned why the boss acting like this was a “joke”, stating he would be “furious at this point” if he was an employee.
Noel replied that he “felt bad” that the company was in this position, but reiterated that he could not cancel or amend his trip.
“It’s a family trip, we haven’t been together for years and I haven’t had annual leave for 3 years. It’s also nobody’s business how I spend my time off,” he said, suggesting they get some temporary workers to cover until they can find a permanent replacement.
He then said he could help with extra work until he left.
A subsequent reply from the boss was branded “terrible” by Sanz, with the text reading: “Mate, can’t stress enough, your holiday is cancelled, we can’t do it. I’m sorry.”
This appears to be the last thing for Noel, with the employee claiming he no longer wants to return to the office and has been left “shocked” by the change.
She informs Nick that she will now change her leave to start “from today” and that during her leave she will consider whether “a company that doesn’t promote boundaries is where I want to work”.
Sanz shared a conversation between the employee, Noel, and his boss, Nick, on TikTok, telling his followers: “You won’t believe this message I just sent.” Michael Sanz/TikTok
Noel added that he would send this “highly unreasonable” exchange to HR.
Sanz praised Noel for handling the situation, saying no employee should have to justify taking their annual leave.
Follow today’s most important news
Stay up to date with the Evening Update.
Thank you for signing up!
“His vacations should continue, business trips should be left to business owners, they should get temps there or virtual assistants,” he said.
Since being posted, the video has garnered more than 667,000 views and hundreds of comments, with people shocked by the boss’ request.
“Oh no! He handled it well, not the problem,” wrote one.
“Business Owners here. Not acceptable to the boss. Not an employee problem. Enjoy Bali!” another said.
Someone claimed they would “stop after the first text”.
After the video went viral, Noel contacted Sanz to thank him and his followers for their support and provide an update on the situation.
He said he went to a wedding in Bali, turned off his phone for three weeks and had fun with his family.
Surprisingly, his wife received several missed calls from the office, probably because they couldn’t reach her.
“I came back to work after the holidays and management was a bit distant. I have decided to take a break to find another job but don’t want to disappoint my clients,” said Noel.
“So I went back, gave notice, kept my clients updated, and looked for a new (higher paying) job.”
Speaking to news.com.au, Sanz revealed that after posting the video, he received dozens of messages from people from across Australia, the UK, New Zealand and the US who had similar experiences.
In situations where there is a more “relaxed” relationship between employer and employee, Mr. Sanz often finds that one party will lean on this and overstep the bounds of the job.
“While people can be normal at work, often when leadership tries to infringe on personal space/time, we see staff react,” he said.
Sanz revealed to news.com.au that it was actually the boss who sent him the change “like a badge of honour” because he believed he was on the right side. Michael Sanz/TikTok
“They are only paid to perform certain tasks and more often already feel undervalued and underpaid.”
He said, any employee who finds themselves in a similar situation needs to explain the limitations of their work.
“Employees need to remain assertive and make plans with confidence and always include HR in the conversation,” he said.
“Companies need to provide better education to management and staff around work time off so there isn’t the level of guilt they often give to those who take time off.”
Categories: Trending
Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
